An ode to a Tsunami

a poem by Sruti Ramanan

Oh Tsunami!
Why did you come to meet us?

When in good mood,
You quietly touch our feet and go.
But on that fateful Sunday
You were so hungry that you swallowed many lives;
You did not spare anybody;
Hapless children were lying dead on the roads;
You uprooted many trees; and
You entered houses and hotels uninvited.
Today, you look innocent as if nothing had happened

If you are strong, why do you test your strength against us?
Be kind to us
Show us mercy